Top 10 Home Remedies For Opiate Withdrawal

Are you looking for natural ways to relieve opiate withdrawal symptoms? Then you have good news – as there are some effective natural remedies. Opiate withdrawal can be a harrowing experience, not just for the addict, but for the family and friends as well.

Read on to know more about opiate withdrawal and how you can deal with it at home.

Opiate Withdrawal – An Overview

Opiate withdrawal is a condition that occurs when you suddenly reduce or stop the use of opiate drugs after prolonged consumption. The symptoms include nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, anxiety, depression, abdominal cramps, etc (1). When patients go through withdrawal, they also experience intense craving for the drug. Their suffering can be so extreme that they get thrown back to their addiction out of sheer desperation. To make sure that someone you love does not get back to their old habits, make use of opiate withdrawal home remedies and help them get through the terrible symptoms.

Here are ten of the best home remedies for opiate withdrawal that you can use:

1. Water

You already know that water has many healing properties, which is why you will not be surprised to know that water can help immensely in relieving opiate withdrawal and its many symptoms. Apart from healing properties, it also has detoxifying agents that help flush toxins out of the body and deal with their negative effects. It aids the liver and kidneys in cleansing the system completely. Water also helps alleviate muscle cramps. Consuming at-least three liters of water daily is recommended to boost the natural detoxifying action of water to help cope with opiate withdrawal.

2. Lime

This fruit is rich in Vitamin C, which is a nutrient that naturally detoxifies the body and stimulates the immune system (2). The best way to provide this vitamin to the patient is to extract the juice of 3 to 4 fresh limes to be consumed every morning on an empty stomach. It is most effective on its own, but it can be mixed with warm water as well. It helps in the effective removal of toxins, excess fat and mineral waste that need to be flushed out of the body.

3. Chamomile Tea

As you know, chamomile tea has calming and anti-inflammatory properties (3). These are of immense help to a person experiencing withdrawal from opiates. This beneficial herbal tea helps relieve diarrhoea, dysentery and nausea, which are the common symptoms of this condition. Chamomile tea’s calming effect also helps alleviate anxiety and nervous tension. Drinking about 4 to 5 cups of the tea every day can significantly help with opiate withdrawal.

4. Fenugreek

One of the most common symptoms of opiate withdrawal is nausea. Fenugreek is an effective home remedy for this problem (4). You can give it to the patient by boiling a liter of water with a handful of the seeds to relieve the symptoms of this condition. Feeding a paste made from a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds soaked overnight in water is a great way to keep nausea and other symptoms away.

5. Ginger

This is another highly effective remedy for nausea. This is a recurring symptom among people who go through opiate withdrawal. It also effectively treats pain to a certain degree. Drinking ginger tea throughout the day can help immensely. Boiling a piece of crushed ginger in a cup of water can also relieve nausea. Ginger’s strong taste and smell works on the nerves and redirects the patient’s focus away from cravings.

6. Green Tea

This amazing tea comes with loads of benefits, and it can help in lowering stress that is associated with withdrawal from opiates. It also can detoxify the body naturally and flush out harmful toxins that accumulate in the body after opium intake. Ginger even cleanses the liver and kidneys before the patient can get back to normalcy. Drinking 3 to 4 cups of green tea every day can help a patient of opiate withdrawal.

7. Passionflower Tea

This is another herbal tea that is highly effective for opiate withdrawal treatment. It has sedative and calming effects that can help relieve stress, anxiety and depression (5). It has antispasmodic, pain-relieving and hypotensive actions that can help patients when they experience violent agitation. Steeping the flower’s fresh petals in a cup of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes will give you the tea that should be given to the patient 2 times every day.

8. Cayenne

The active component in cayenne pepper is capsaicin, which is highly effective for the control of muscle tension and pain that patients experience while going through withdrawal. You can find ready-made topical applications and creams in herbal stores that contain this ingredient. Half a teaspoon of cayenne can also be consumed with a glass of warm milk for its benefits.

9. Bayberry Tea

Diarrhoea and other intestinal problems can cause a lot of discomfort to a person who is going through withdrawal from opiates. It is the bark of the bayberry plant that is used for this tea. It is dried and made into a powdered form. To make this tea, add 1 teaspoon of the powder to a cup of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes to make it strong. This potent tea should be given to the patient 3 times a day to relieve intestinal problems.

10. Orange Juice And Bananas

As mentioned already, muscle cramps are a constant symptom of opiate withdrawal. Foods that are rich in potassium can help in alleviating this symptom. Bananas and orange juice are high in this mineral, and adding them to the patient’s daily diet can help fight cramps (6). It also helps in preventing cravings. To help keep discomfort away, add these foods in high quantity every day as a part of the meals.

It is an understatement to say that withdrawals, from opiates or any other drug, are painful. There is a lot more than physical pain to endure. But with the help of these opiate withdrawal remedies, it is possible to gain relief from the different symptoms of this condition. Patients can be helped so that they can recover from their addiction successfully.

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